§1What this business is

Chickpeas bought from the market or farmers are checked, cleaned of soil, stones, weed seed and damaged grain, graded on sieves and separators, dried to no more than 12% moisture, and packed in bags. Buyers are wholesalers, kirana shops, dal and besan mills and packers.

Capacity: 100–150 kg an hour (automatic plant).

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

A grain trader or FPO in a chana-growing district who understands mandi prices.

Who it is not for

Someone who does not know the pulse trade.

Advantages

  • Chana is India's biggest pulse — the report says 40% of the pulse crop
  • Simple cleaning and grading machines
  • Clean, graded chana sells at a better price
  • Can grow into a dal or besan mill later

Drawbacks

  • Raw chana is about 68% of sales
  • Prices move with harvest and government stock rules
  • Needs a lot of working capital
  • Many traders already clean and grade

Skills you need

  • Mandi buying and grading
  • Machine operation
  • Storage and pest control
  • Wholesale network

Why difficulty 2/5: Easy machines; profit depends on buying chana right.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Wholesalers and kirana shops
  • Dal and besan mills
  • Pulse packers and brands

How it sells

  • Mandi and wholesale trade
  • Direct supply to mills and packers

Good to know

  • The report says India grows roughly 70% of the world's chana, and desi chana is 80% of global output.
  • Stored seed should be kept at 10–12% moisture for up to 8 months.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Grading machine—₹2,00,000
Drum separator—₹1,90,000
Vibratory pre-cleaner—₹4,00,000
Drying machine—₹75,000
De-stoner machine—₹1,00,000
Packaging machine—₹2,00,000
Other equipment (bucket elevator with gear motor)—₹50,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Chickpeas (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Dried, pod-free chickpeas (desi or kabuli)bought from the market or farmers; raw material ₹67.20 lakh in year 1
  • Polythene-lined gunny bagsstorage and packing

From: PMEGP sample project report — Chickpeas (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

§5Licences & registration

  1. GST
  2. Udyam
  3. FSSAI licence
  4. Fire NOC
  5. Mandi licence for buying
  6. Trademark for the brand

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

PMEGP sample project; PMFME and AIF (primary processing) fit; CGTMSE covers the collateral-free loan.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: plant & machinery ₹12.90 L (incl. GST and transport) + furniture ₹0.50 L + other misc assets ₹1.00 L + working capital ₹7.76 L = ₹22.16 L. Premises rented. Finance: term loan ₹12.96 L, WC loan ₹6.98 L, own ₹2.22 L.

Working capital: Working capital ₹7.76 lakh, of which the bank funds ₹6.98 lakh — chana is bought in bulk.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

0713.20Chickpeas (garbanzos), dried and shelled

Export council / board: APEDA

  • Pulses are APEDA-scheduled products; register with APEDA (RCMC) before exporting.
  • Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
  • You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Chana price swings
  • Stock-limit orders
  • Storage pests and moisture
  • Thin margins

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working chickpea (chana) cleaning and grading unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (GST, Udyam), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Chickpea (Chana) Cleaning and Grading?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Chickpeas (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.